Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1887-08-05

compare lnelT beauty WITH tue frequent
beds of flowers of all colors underneath
'em. And birds dartin' and singin'
over 'em both, as ifthey were dizzy with
delight and couldn't settle the matter.
AMI white statutes lookin' serenely
down or up into the blue heavens, as the
Ca" might be, hut either way seemin'
lost in vision of raped beauty. And
the musical murmur of the fountains a
tellin' somethin' about their own ideas
of beauty and glory in their own liquid
language, we'll be known TO them, bat
not translated yet into ourn. And anon,
or oftener, right out of the green velvet
of the turf would be big, cool ponds of
water, bound in white marble, with
thousands of goldfish dartin' in and
out every way.
And all along the streets wuz houses,
big and noble and grand looking, and
! little and clean and coZy looking, all
minglin' together and seemingly enjoy
ing themselves first rate. And the big
churches, occasionally, if not oftener.
The steeples are very high, and so are
the characters of the perfessers, as far
as | know.
And then we went by some big tar
vens. Yes, Mr.. Riggs and Mr.. willard
keeps first-rate tarvens, so | wuz told,
and so doz Mr.. Arlington, too. But
| they don't do it all themselves; they
keep help. Why, good land, Miss Will
lard and Miss Riggs and Miss Arling-
ton couldn't begin to wash the dishes, to
say nothin' of wipin'. They keep a
hired girl, all on 'em, aud may be more
than one.
And all along this beautiful and en-
chantin' highway, good deal oftener
than once, would be massive and i'm
pressive marble buildings. Why, |
never see anything so impressive, and
Josiah never did. They lowered up
and spread out with a majesty that made
'em fit for the name they bore, public
buildings. The public deserves it all.
| like the public first rate, and so does
Josiah. The public is good old creeter
a good deal of the time. And way up
over our heads, wherever we wuz, We
conld see the shinin' tall spire OF Gen.
George Washington's monument,
seemin' to pointup towards the heavens.
all the time a drawin' the minds of law
makers up where they ought to be. But
though Georges head is way up in the
clouds, mists and mud are present with
his feet. And this is the way with most
on 'em spose, lofty, towerin' ambitions,
and were grovelin' ones, all in one mon
ument
Wall. anon. we see the walls of the
Capitol, like a poem in white marble, a
risin' out of billowy sea of green;
waves on waves of beautiful green of
every tint, and blossoms, white, pink
and cream color.
We got out of the car nigh to the
buildin' and walked afoot up through
the broad paths, leadin' under that
vcrdant shade. Great masses Of flowers
wuz sot down in the green velvet turf a
borderin' the paths. Statutes looked out
at us through the green bonghs; birds
sung to us-the posys nodded their per-
fumed heads at us.
And high up-up-OSer our heads,
right out of that fairyland of beauty,
riz the white walls of that most perfect
and beautiful buildin' in the world.
And as | went up one Of the broad
fights of marble steps, as vice and high
as from our house clear up the hill to
Mr.. Sewedy's, if not further, nudged
Josiah and seys:
"Josiah, don't believe l ever had
such feeln's towards George as have
to-day"
George who?" seys he.
"That George" says 1, tnrnin' round
and pointin' to where he sot on his
monument, calm and noble, though con-
siderable thin dressed. "IIe who wuz
first in war, first in peace and firstin the
hearts Of his countrymen."
didn't say much more gOin' up the
steps; not that wuz put to it for emo
tions, not at all, but my breath had gin
out long before got half way up.
But at last the steep assent wnz
climbed, and we stood in the lofty mar
BILE halls where justice and other things
are administered to us. Ny feelins was
powerful, but | controlled 'em with
almost marble firmness, for felt that
mustn't give way before 0 o'clock in the
mornin,' when so much wuz ahead Of
lie. And anon, after roaming through
lofty and majestical corridors as far,
should judge, as from our house to
Janesville, stood in the rotunda, that
wonderful room, alookin' up in deep
amaze and dumbfounder, up, up past
the statutes and pictures, and alto and
other reiefs, up, up into the high heay-
ems of light that shone down through
the many colors, wuz fairly lost in
contemplating the lOftiness and grand
eur, AMI don't care who knows it.
And before / wuz found my companion
had discovered sunthin' very mysteri-
Gus. Ii was a kind Of a whisperin'
It'll Non c,oo1 M. . oortoin f,ieco NJ
marble floor, and a man way out in
front OF you viii speak to you, and the
voice will seem to come from right be-
hind you, close to you. They said it was
caused by some acoustic property.
And said didn't know anything
about the gentleman nor how much
property he owned. But says /, "If lie
,vauts In soil anv If his nronarfv and